The
quest for enlightenment is by far the most elusive and subtle path imaginable
to the human mind. The construct of our physical existence combined
with our imperfect mode of sensory perception clouds the essential nature
of the universe. We are thus enveloped by shrouds of illusion and
misconception, the embodiment of the Hindu concept of maya. It
is the inherent humanistic pull towards ego which blinds us. All
institutionalized religions around the globe, and throughout history,
stem from the same intuitive seed of consciousness. They are all
snapshots or interpretations of the same thing.

It
is the immaterial fabric of consciousness, the divine Absolute, the construction
of the universal group mind. Our thoughts are essentially insights
that we obtain through tapping into the infinite spirit. The physical
manifestation of this resides in all creation, all of nature, and in
all that we produce; it is the creative force behind all that is art
or existence. The seeker of enlightenment is seeking the dissolution
of selfish egocentric reality; he is seeking union with the universal
mind. This is the broadest level of awareness, when you see there
is one. “When he perceives the unity existing in separate
creatures and how they expand from unity, he attains the infinite spirit.” BG
119

What
is it that obscures this union with the universal mind? What is
this force which drives misconception? Maya, a fundamental
concept in Hindu thought, is “what is not.” It is the
web of illusion that leads us to accept that which is not. Attachment
to such misconception is the root of all suffering, greed, and hate,
as well as desire, kama, and passion, rajas. “The
aim of Indian thought has always been to learn the secret of the entanglement,
and, if possible, to cut through into a reality outside and beneath the
emotional and intellectual convolutions that enwrap our conscious being.” ZIM
23

The
construct, or secret, of Visnu’s maya is immaterial; therefore,
it cannot be defined using words, nor can it be shone to someone. It
can only be described by demonstrating the nature of the illusion. Maya is
made manifest within the sphere of one’s ignorance. Maya has
two principle effects: one, the illusion of permanence, the illusion
that this transitory phase of existence is worthy of attachment, and
two, the illusion of diversity or separateness. Both illusions
vanish when one attains the broadest level, union with Visnu, he who
pervades all existence, the being that is all beings.

“With the enlargement of the perspective¼it
was as though the mountains – permanent when considered from
the standpoint of our brief human span of some seven decades – should
be beheld, all at once, from the perspective of as many millenniums. They
would rise and fall like waves. The permanent would be seen as
fluid.” ZIM 23

One’s
inability to fully comprehend maya is a product of one’s
egocentric perception. The ego, ahamkara, and the broadest
sense represent two opposite poles of awareness within which lie infinite
levels, or states of awareness. The illusion of Maya functions
on all but the broadest level. The perception of the ego is completely
deluded by apparent dichotomies and paradoxical diversity. It is
the individualized self that thinks “I am this, or I am that,” when
in actuality, these are merely bodily identifications. By deconstructing
ego and embracing the broadest possible level of consciousness, one attains Brahman,
the divine absolute, liberation from samsara, the painful cycle
of emanation, dissolution, and re-emanation.

The
capacity to manifest the illusory, through play of maya, differs
infinitely on all levels. The play of maya by deities is
represented by their ability to take many forms and manifest themselves
within a large number of individual entities. Their maya is
in turn part of a larger maya in which the gods themselves are
held spellbound. Visnu resides at the broadest level, and is thus
the cosmic juggler, he who maintains ultimate understanding or control
of maya. To know the secret of Visnu’s maya is
to be Visnu.

“All creatures are bewildered at birth by
the delusion of opposing dualities that arise from desire and hatred.” “Composed
of nature’s qualities, my divine magic is hard to escape, but
those who seek refuge in me cross over this magic.” “At
the end of many births, the man of knowledge finds refuge in me; he
is the rare great spirit who sees ‘Krisna
is all that is.’” BG 73-4 “This
is the place of the infinite spirit; achieving it, one is freed from
delusion, abiding in it even at the time of death, one finds the pure
calm of infinity.” BG 39

In
order to add perspective to the nature of the nested hierarchy of cycles
within the universe, let us first consider our own physical existence. Our
average duration of physical embodiment lasts about seventy some odd
years, give or take a couple decades. This interval of existence
represents a lifetime of experience. However, in context with the
larger cycle of the universe, this interval is infinitesimal. According
to Hindu mythology, the existence of the universe is subdivided into
four yugas, or ages. Through each age, Holy Dharma,
or duty, declines quarter by quarter. An entire cycle, or Mahayuga,
lasts 4,320,000 years by human reckoning. One day of Brahma, the
creator, consists of one thousand mahayugas, 4,320,000,000 years. The
lifetime of Brahma endures for one hundred years, a year thus being composed
of Brahma days and nights. The point is that even though our cycle
of rebirth is minute in comparison with that of Brahma, he too, the creator,
unwillingly dissolves back into the Absolute at the end of the great
cycle. Visnu alone, through his divine discipline, is free from
the unending cycle of rebirth.

The
concepts and models of the universe and understanding of space and time
that form the foundation of Indian thought are incorporated into a rich
and vast collection of mythologies. These stories demonstrate the
nature of the universe by appealing directly to one’s intuition. Instead
of explicitly describing the subtle fabric of the universe and of consciousness,
Indian myth attempts to reveal insights through subconscious realization.

One
such myth that is very common among Hindu followers describes the nature
of maya by relating the story of Narada, the ideal devotee. The
story is told by a holy ascetic Vyasa, whom, when asked of the secret
of maya, refers to another story of how maya works its
effect. He tells the story of Kamadamana, a young prince. This
individual, while conversing with his father, recounts a realization
he remembers from a past life in which his name was Sutapas.

Visnu,
pleased with Sutapas, who was a faithful devotee, appeared before him
and granted him a boon, or wish. Sutapas desired only one thing,
to comprehend the maya. Visnu responds by telling the story
of Narada, another individual who desired to know the secret of maya. Visnu
had appeared to Narada just as he had appeared to Sutapas, and was asked
the same question. “What is the secret to your maya?” Visnu
directed Narada to dive into a pool of water, assuring him that the secret
would be revealed. Upon entering the water, Narada experiences
an entire lifetime of existence. In this life he is a girl, whom
eventually marries, fully experiences the delights of love, in due time
becomes queen, and gives birth to many sons
and grandsons. After years of contentment and joy, a feud erupts
between her husband and father. This conflict is resolved in a
mighty battle in which both sides of her family destroy each other.

Griped
by sorrow, the woman builds an immense funeral pyre, in which all her
relatives are engulfed by fire. She then throws herself into the
conflagration, at which point the fire becomes a pond, and she finds
herself again as Narada. He is thus led from the waters by the
hand of Visnu. Visnu tells this tale to Sutapas, supposedly, in
order to teach him that the secret of his maya is beyond comprehension,
and can only known to Visnu himself. He
offers Sutapas the same vision, at which point Sutapas delves into the
water, emerges as a girl, and was thus overcome by the complete experience
of another life.

In
another popular story, the reoccurring character Narada asks Visnu to
reveal the magic power of his maya. Visnu takes Narada across
a blazing dessert. Upon seeing a group of huts in the distance,
Visnu directs Narada to fetch some water. Narada goes to ask for
water, but instead meets a beautiful maiden and forgets his task entirely. He
is taken in by the girl’s family, soon after which he marries the
maiden, in time becomes head of the household, and bears three children. All
is well for some time until a great flood comes to their village and
forces them to evacuate. In trying to escape the waters, the torrential
flood ripped away all three of his children, his wife, and eventually
himself. He awakens on the desert floor and is overcome with sadness. Visnu
then addresses Narada, “Do you comprehend now the secret of my maya.”

These
intense stories are used to identify maya with a vast inescapable
whirlwind of experience that is filled with desire, joy, and of course
suffering. In both stories, the main character experiences an entire
lifetime in the course of only a few minutes. The water symbolizes
Visnu’s Maya energy.

“Therefore,
in the symbolism of the myths, to dive into water means to delve into
the mystery of maya, to quest after the ultimate secret of life.
Boundless and imperishable, the cosmic waters are at once the immaculate
source of all things and the dreadful grave. Through a power of
self-transformation, the energy of the abyss puts forth, or assumes,
individualized forms endowed with temporary life and limited ego-consciousness. For
a time it nourishes and sustains these with a vivifying sap. Then
it dissolves them again, without mercy or distinction, back into the
anonymous energy out of which they arose.” ZIM 34

Such
is the force of nature, of unmanifest energy, of “the inexhaustible,
eternal well of being”, from which all physical creation is made
manifest. We exist within nature, and are thus governed by its
supreme force, which neither discriminates nor is partial to any individual
life or existence.

Visnu
maintains that only he can comprehend the full effect of maya, and
that it is beyond the reach of human understanding; yet, it is conceivably
possible to attain union with Visnu, for this is the goal of he who seeks moksa. It
is the question that drives us. It is the quest of the disciplined
devotee who seeks liberation from the painful cycle of birth, old age,
and death. The man of knowledge embraces Visnu as the highest way,
the path of infinity. To comprehend Visnu’s maya is
thus the greatest vision imaginable; the key to universe through conscious
awareness.